Oilers Sting No. 22 Yellow Jackets
Cedarville, Ohio – Regulation was not enough to separate the Great Midwest Athletic Conference's (G-MAC) top teams on Saturday, Dec. 16 in Cedarville, so for the first time since January of 2016, the Oilers participated in a game that went to double-overtime. Saturday's contest against the Yellow Jackets was the league's marquee matchup of the young season and saw the Oilers come away with a 92-83 victory over the no. 22 Cedarville Yellow Jackets. With the win, Findlay's win streak has now reached nine games and they remain atop the conference with a 6-0 record in league play (9-1 overall). The Yellow Jackets fall to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. It is the second consecutive game that Findlay has knocked a team from the ranks of the league's unbeaten and is the Oilers' first win over a ranked opponent since they knocked off no. 17 Grand Valley St. on Jan. 4, 2015.
In a game that featured two of the top three shooting teams in the nation, Findlay would jump ahead by as many as 16 points early, holding a 30-14 lead with 6:19 to play in the opening half. Ultimately the Oilers, which only trailed for one minute in the first half at 2-0, would take a 41-32 lead into the break.
Findlay would again reach a double-figure lead as they lead 52-37 just four minutes into the second half. However, a 15-2 run over the next four and a half minutes by the Yellow Jackets pulled the home team to within two points at 54-52.
Cedarville would tie the game at 67-67 with 4:21 to play in the game and took their first lead since the first minute of the game when Regina Hochstetler nailed a three to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 70-69. Trailing by two points (71-69) with just three seconds remaining, Findlay inbounded the ball from in front of their bench to the top of the arc where junior Anna Hintz caught the ball and launched a potential game-winner. She was fouled and converted on a pair of her three free throws to send the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, Cedarville possessed the ball and held a 78-76 lead with less than a minute to play when senior Lynsey Englebrecht came up with a steal. After a 30-second timeout, senior Kendyl Hinton dribbled around her defender and converted a layup to tie the game. Stout defense from Findlay denied the Jackets a game-winning shot attempt and the game went to a second overtime.
Senior Haley Horstman hit a jumper just 23 seconds into the final overtime period to put the Orange and Black ahead 80-78. Hintz then scored eight straight points for the Oilers who then took control of the contest and went on to earn the nine-point victory over the nation's twenty-second ranked team.
Anna Hintz had a hurculean performance as she led Findlay with a career-high 31 points on 9-of-17 from the floor. She made 12-of-15 from the charity stripe, both career-highs, and recorded five blocks, also a career-high. It was the first time an Oilers player has had five or more blocks in a game since Kaitlyn Nelson had seven swats against Ashland on Jan. 5, 2011 and the first time an Oilers' player has scored 30+ points in a game since Clare Aubry scored 30 against Ashland on Jan. 29, 2011. Hintz also chipped in nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals to round out her stellar performance.
Senior Haley Horstman narrowly missed a career-high as she scored 21 points, one shy of her personal best. Horstman made 8-of-15 from the floor and was perfect from the charity stripe making all four of her attempts. She dished out a season-best six assists and added four rebounds while fellow senior Lynsey Englebrecht grabbed a career-high nine boards. Englebrecht connected on five shots from deep to propel her to a 17-point afternoon.
Junior Jenna Stegmaier scored 14 points on 5-of-8 from the floor and also had three rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Findlay's fifth starter, junior Elissa Ellerbrock, contributed four points, all of which came from the free-throw line.
Findlay made 51.7% (30-for-58) from the floor to 42.0% (29-for-69) for Cedarville. The Oilers also held the edge in rebounding, 39-to-35, and scored 24 points from the charity stripe to just 13 for Cedarville.
Cedarville was led in scoring by Baylee Bennett who scored 32 points on the strength of 8-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Findlay will play their final game before the Christmas break when they host Alderson Broaddus in Croy on Tuesday, Dec. 19. That game will tip off at 8:00pm.